Guardian and the Werehog
by craZ4knux
Summary: Sonic is turned into a beast and the only way to break the spell is if someone loves him and he loves them in return. Based on Beauty and the Beast. Sonic/Knuckles
1. The Werehog

**Hello, I'm back with another story. It's a Sonic/Knuckles story based on Beauty and the Beast, mostly the Disney one. I hope everyone likes it. =) Enjoy!**

The Guardian and the Hedgehog

Once upon a time, there was a hedgehog named Sonic. He was the world's greatest hero, always foiling Dr. Eggman's plans to rule the planet. He was admired by everyone for his bravery. But, not only was he brave and heroic, he was also bossy and spoiled. He lived in a huge mansion with an iron gate. One night, he was in the dining room, waiting for his food. "Where's my chili dogs?! Shouldn't they be done by now!?" he shouted.

Vanilla and Cream came in carrying a large plate full of chili dogs. "Here you go, Sonic."

"I helped make them, I hope you like them, Mr. Sonic," Cream said sweetly.

"Bout time, you know I don't like to wait."

"We promise not to take too long next time," Vanilla said apologetically as she and Cream exited the room.

"As Sonic was eating his favorite food, there was a loud knock at the door. He continued eating, figuring someone else will get it. A minute later, the knocking persisted. 'Can somebody get that?!" Sonic got a little agitated, then he finally got up and zipped to the front door and opened it. "Hello?"

An old woman stood before him carrying a single red rose. "Excuse me, I would hate to bother you, but I'm cold and hungry. I have no money. Would it be too much trouble to let me stay just one night? All I have is a rose to pay." The lady pleaded.

Sonic was already agitated and tired. It would be kind of odd having an old hag around. "Look lady, I'd love to but I don't think we have enough room, the house is already filled with people," he answered insincerely, "and you interrupted my dinner. Sorry, try the next house. Later." He shut the door.

The lady stood there for a second, then she was engulfed in a white light and in her place was a beautiful enchantress. Sonic saw a bright light outside; he opened the door and was shocked to see the enchantress. She explained how he was selfish and conceited fro not helping her and that he must pay a price. "You must learn that appearance is not the most important thing, and that your attitude is unacceptable!" she said in an echo-y voice, as the rose she held started glowing.

Sonic glowed along with it. "What? What's going on?!" he demanded. His body started changing, as well as his voice. He growled.

"I am putting a spell on you. You will remain a beast. This flower is your life, by your next birthday, all the petals will have fallen, and you will cease to live. The only was to reverse the curse, is it someone falls in love with you and you returned their love." With that she vanished. Sonic roared as he ran up to his room, not noticing the other residents have changed, as well.

A month later, the current Guardian was walking through town; he'd finished patrolling and he was on his way back to the altar. Shadow appeared in front of him. "Hello, Guardian."

"What are you doing here, Shadow?" he asked.

"Just came up here to enjoy the sights, and to see how you were doing." He put an arm around Knuckles' shoulder.

Knuckles gave him a weird look. "Uh, since when did you want to see me?"

"Well, I've been thinking about how alike we are. We both have Chaos Power, we both grew up alone. We have so much in common, we're practically soul mates."

"I think you're crazy," the Guardian pushed away from the dark hedgehog and glared at him.

"Hm. I think you like me, you're just hiding it."

Knuckles scoffed. "Well, your wrong, and-"

"KNUCKLES!!"

"I have to go," he glared at Shadow as he ran though the trees.

"Hmph, I'm the Ultimate Life Form, I'll get what I want!"

Knuckles walked into the small house that was built right next to the Master Emerald's altar. Inside was his father, Locke. "Hey, Dad, you called me?"

"Yes, son, I have something to tell you. I plan on leaving for a few days, and I want you to keep the Master Emerald protected at all times while I'm gone, okay?"

"Yes Dad."

"Good boy." He ruffled his son's spines and headed out the door, and through the trees. About an hour later, he was still in the woods, and it had gotten dark. "Hmm, it seems I may have taken a wrong turn somewhere. I should turn back and try again." As he turned around, he heard growls. He got in a fighting stance as about five or six wolves came out of hiding. Knowing he was outnumbered, he decided to run the other direction, being chased by wolves. Locke ran until he spotted iron gates ahead; he ran toward them, pushed one open, went through, and closed it behind him. Knowing he was safe from the wolves, he turned his attention to the large house behind him. He walked up to the door and knocked. Thinking the house was probably abandoned, he pushed on the door and it opened. "Hmm…" he walked inside. The room was dark and quiet, except for a lit candelabra sitting on a small table next to a little clock. The old Guardian picked up the candle to use to light his way. "Strange place," he commented. He looked at the candle again and noticed that it was green. "A green candlestick?" he said, confused.

The green candlestick opened its eyes. "Yo!" it greeted.

"What the-?!" Locke was surprised to see a talking candle. "You…talk?!"

"You idiot!" said a voice that came from the clock, which was purple.

"How are you talking!? Inanimate objects don't talk!"

"It's a long story," said the green candlestick. "Names Vector, and you are?"

"Uh…Locke Echidna."

"He shouldn't be here," the clock whispered. "what if HE found out!?"

"That's Espio. Don't worry about him, he's just a big worry wort!"

"This is an interesting place, you mind if I look around?" the echidna asked.

"Of course!" Vector hopped out of Locke's hand. "Follow me!" He said as he hopped of with Espio. Locke was led into a large room with a fireplace, armchair, and rug. "Please sit down," Vector said, ignoring Espio's protests.

Locke sat n the large armchair and a cart rolled up to him with a teapot and teacup. "Hello, dear. How about some tea?" said the teapot as it poured some tea into the teacups. "Call me, Vanilla, dear."

"Oh…uh, thank you." The old echidna picked up the teacup. As he lifted it toward his mouth he heard giggling. "Huh?" The giggling continued and he felt the cup shake. He looked down at it and saw that it was laughing. "Oh."

"Your beard tickles!" it laughed.

The echidna chuckled, "And what's your name?"

"My name is Cream.," she said.

He chuckled again at the name.

"Please! He must leave! What if the Master comes in here?! He'll be furious!"

"You worry too much! Can't you see he needs-" Vector was cut off when the sudden sound of large doors slamming against the wall rang throughout the room. A large figure stood in the doorway.

"By the Walkers…!" The old Guardian stood up in shock at the sight before his eyes. It was…some sort of monster!

"M-master, I tried to tell them-!" the clock stammered.

"What the hell are you doing in my castle!?" the monster demanded.

"I-I got lost and c-came across this place. I thought it was a-abandoned." Locke stuttered, deciding whether to run or stay completely still.

"Does this look abandoned to you?! Trespassers are unwelcome here!!"

"I was only hoping for a place to stay for the night, I'll leave first thing in the morn-!"

"I'll give you a place to stay!" The creature grabbed Locke by his white coat and dragged him down to the dungeon, not listening to the protests coming from the poor echidna. He tossed his prisoner into one of the cells and locked it shut.

**Well, there's chapter 1. I've already got most of the story written out, so it shouldn't take too long to upload the next chapter. I hope you guys liked it. Stay tuned for chapter 2. =D**


	2. Knuckles Moves In

Guardian and the Werehog  
Chapter 2

Back at the altar, Knuckles was in the living room sitting comfortably in the recliner reading a book while eating an apple. He glanced every now and then through the window that provided a good view of the Master Emerald, keeping an eye out for trouble.

Shadow stood outside the house, watching his object of affection through another window. He pondered on how he would convince the echidna to be his. He was fully aware that they were both males, but he didn't care. The hedgehog admired that fact that he was so like him, in a way. They were both born with Chaos powers; only Shadow, who was created fifty years ago, had more experience with his powers. Knuckles, who was only fifteen, still has a lot to learn about the powers he possesses. And he was pretty good looking, Shadow thought. He walked up to the door and knocked. Seconds later, the door opened and Knuckles stood in the doorway. "Shadow?"

"Hello. Just thought I'd drop by and see a friend."

"Friend? Since when did you considered anyone a friend?" Knuckles asked, perplexed at his unexpected visitor.

"I figured Maria would be happier if I made a friend, instead of moping around all the time," He stepped passed the echidna into the house and looked around.

"Really?" The Guardian closed the door and turned toward Shadow with his arms crossed, apple still in his hand. "And you choose me because…?" He took another bite of his apple.

Shadow turned toward him. "I don't know; I feel like I can understand you more than anyone else."

"Uh huh... What about that little move u made back in the city?"

The Ultimate Life Form chuckled, which had an arrogant tone to it. "You mean like this?" He said as he put his arm around the echidna's shoulders. "I was only being friendly."

Feeling uncomfortable, the young Guardian focused his attention back to his apple. "Oh…"

Shadow took the half-eaten apple from the echidna's hands.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Maybe we could even be…partners?" He took a large bite and tossed it aside.

"Partners?" He repeated, completely forgetting about the apple. He suddenly felt himself being pressed against Shadow's chest. "Hey!" He tried to pull away.

"Partners, companions, soul mates…" The hedgehog ran his other hand up the echidna's arm and gently stroked his cheek with the back of his fingers. "…lovers." He picked up one of Knuckles' front spines and let it gently slip from his hands.

"No!" Knuckles tried to pull free again, but Shadow only tightened his grip around him.

Shadow gripped the nervous echidna's chin and lifted it up to face him. "But we could be so great together." He then forced his lips against Knuckles', tasting the apple he'd just eaten.

Knuckles immediately started squirming in Shadow's grip; when that didn't work he kicked him in the shin, causing the hedgehog to loosen his grip. While Shadow was distracted, Knuckles took the chance to punch him across the face. "Get out of my house, Hedgehog!" He quickly opened the door, shoved him outside, and slammed the door.

Shadow sat up off the ground rubbing his chin when he heard the door open again, then felt something hard hit the back of his head, and another slam of the door. He glared down at the object and saw the half-eaten apple sitting about a foot from him. He got to his feet and picked it up. He remembered how the young echidna had tasted when he'd kissed him. He could easily go back in there and claim him right now, but that kiss will do for now. One day he'll make that echidna love him, he thought as he crushed the fruit in his hand and walked away.

Back inside the house, Knuckles was leaning against the door, still shocked at what had just happened. He wiped his mouth with his glove. "I can't believe he just…I can't believe he would think that I would want to be with him! He's a guy, and he's what, 50! Sick hedgehog!" He peered out the window to see if he'd left. No one was there. He opened the door and stepped out, cautiously looking around in case he was hiding and waiting to grab him or something. Realizing it was safe, he walked up the steps of the altar to check on the Emerald. It was still there, and he saw no damage; just as he'd left it. He was about to turn and go back to the house when he thought he saw something in the large jewel. He moved closer to get a better look and saw an image in the green gem. He could just barely see what looked like an echidna being pushed into a dark room. The Emerald showed a closer view of the echidna; Knuckles immediately recognized the white coat and beard. "Dad?!" The image switched to what looked like a large dark figure, then back to his father. "Dad's in trouble! Something's got him; I have to go find him!" He stared to run when he remembered the Emerald. If he left, there would be no one to guard it. But, his father was more important to him; if the Emerald was stolen while he was gone, he can just go after it later. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen. Knuckles ran down the steps toward the woods, where he saw his dad go when he left.

Night had fallen, and Knuckles had spent hours searching the woods when he came across an iron gate. He peered through the bars an saw a very large, dark looking mansion. "This must be where Dad is." He pushed the gate open and slipped though, shutting the gate behind him. He walked up to the door and carefully twisted the knob; the door opened. "It's unlocked." The wary echidna slipped inside, looking around the room for enemies or that creature. He moved down a large corridor, peeking into open doors looking for any sign o his father. "Hello? Dad?"

Vector and Espio were in another room bickering over what had just happened earlier with the poor echidna. "I told you he would be furious! You never listen to me!" Espio exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah…" Vector muttered, clearly uninterested in Espio's lecture. "Do you ever shut u-wait! I hear something!" He poked his green candle-head out of the room.

"See! You're doing it again!"

"Look, we have another guest!"

"A guest!?" Espio looked out the door and saw an echidna walking around the corridors."He's not a guest, he's a trespasser!"

"He's just a kid. Maybe he's here to find his father. We should help!"

"We should make him leave!"

Vector was already out the door hopping off after him.

"Hey! Vector!" He followed.

The candlestick quickly hopped through a hidden passageway. Knuckles heard noises behind him and quickly turned and saw a set of stairs descending down a dark passageway. He cautiously walked down it. Halfway down he saw a lit candle sitting in an indentation in the brick wall. He grabbed it and continued on, using it to light his way. Eventually, he entered a dark room; the lonely light source was the moonlight shining though the barred windows and the lit candle in the echidna's hand. He saw a bunch of cells lined along one side of the room. "Dad?" He called. He heard shuffling from one of the cells. "Dad?"

"Son?" An old echidna approached the bars. "Son! How'd you find me?!"

"Dad!" He ran toward him. "Somehow the Master Emerald showed me. Are you okay?! How'd you get here!?"

"I'm fine, son, but you need to go before he finds you!"

"Who?"

"A monster! Go, son! Now!"

"No, I have to get you out!" Knuckles put the candle down and tried to open the barred door.

"Son! It's too dangerous! He'll-" Locke saw something move in the dark room. "Knuckles…"

Knuckles all of sudden felt like he was being watched; he quickly turned and got in a fighting stance, and scanned the room. "Come out, release my father now!"

"He shouldn't have trespassed!!" The creature stepped closer to Knuckles, but he still couldn't get a good look at him.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it! Maybe he got lost! Let him go!"

"This is my castle, my rules!!"

Knuckles thought for a minute. "Would you let him go if…I took his place?"

"Knuckles, no!!" Locke grabbed his arm through the bars. "You're still young! You still have a lot to live for! Think about what you're doing!!"

"I'll take his place as your prisoner, if you let him go."

"You're willing to…take his place?" The figure questioned.

"Y-yes. I stay here, and my dad goes free."

"Knuckles!!"

Knuckles turned to his father. "Dad, I'll be fine. It's the only way he'll let you go. Don't worry about me." He turned back toward the monster. He was a bit curious as to what he looked like, after all, he's be living here for a while. "Could you…step forward…please?" The beast stepped forward into the moonlight streaming through the bars, revealing his true appearance. Knuckles stared at him wide-eyed. He's definitely never seen any creature like this before. The most noticeable thing about him was probably his size. He was probably a good two, or three feet taller than himself, and much, much wider than Knuckles' slim form. He had a big upper body and huge gorilla-like arms. His fur was dark blue with some whitish areas in some places. His face was sort of wolf-like, but more monstrous; razor-sharp teeth lined his large muzzle. But the strangest thing about him was that he was wearing a pair of shoes, with little spikes on the soles; and they were huge! _Size…20?_ Knuckles thought. _What monster where's only shoes? _The beast growled, snapping Knuckles form his thoughts.

"Knuckles!" Locke shouted.

Before Knuckles could react, the blue beast moved passed him, opened the cell door and grabbed Locke. Then he shoved the younger echidna in and shut the door. "Whoa!" Knuckles got up from the ground and ran to the cell door. "Dad!!" He shouted as he saw his father being dragged away. Several minutes later, he heard noise from outside. So, he quickly rushed to the window and saw his dad get pushed into some round metal contraption, and it carried him away. "Dad!! Dad…" His father was gone. Knuckles slid down the wall and sat on some boxes and sighed hopelessly. The thought of never seeing his father or his mother again… She'll be heartbroken, thinking she'll never see her son again, and they only just reunited. He hoped he would get out of this place soon. Tears rolled down his face, he didn't bother wiping them, knowing he'd be alone for a while.

Suddenly, he was started when he heard the door slam open, and the blue gorilla-wolf thing stood there, holding the green candle in his hand. _Was he going to kill me? _Knuckles thought, _or maybe he'll eat me._

"Come," he said in a demanding, but calm voice. "I'll show you to your room."

"My room?" He repeated, surprised by the beasts offer.

"Would you rather stay in here and rot!?"

"N-no…"

"This way!" He turned, beckoning the echidna to follow.

Knuckles slowly got up and followed him up the stairs. No one spoke as they travelled through the long corridor.

Vector wanted to break the silence. "Go on, say something to him."

"Uh...you'll be staying for a while, so you're free to roam the castle, except the West Wing."

"What's in there?" Knuckles asked.

"It's forbidden! No one's allowed in there, especially you!" The monster's voice echoed around the hallway. They reach a set of double doors. He opened one of them. "This'll be your room." He motioned him to enter.

The silent echidna stepped in the room.

"Invite him to dinner, I'm sure the boy's probably hungry," Vector suggested.

"…You will join me for dinner, and that's an order, prisoner!!" He slammed the door, causing the echidna to jump. Knuckles walked over to the bed and laid down on his back and did nothing but stare at the ceiling.

"Real smooth," Vector said to his master.

"Hmph." He stormed off.


	3. Closer

Guardian and the Werehog  
Chapter 3

Shadow was at a local bar planning ways to steal Knuckles' heart when the door burst open. He saw an old echidna standing there looking like he was in a hurry. 'Isn't that the echidna's old man?' he thought.

"Help! My son! He's in trouble!" Locke exclaimed, getting everyone's attention, including Shadow's. "He's been kidnapped by a monster!"

"A monster?" Shadow repeated.

The old Guardian turned to the black hedgehog. "Yes! A great big beast, like nothing I've ever seen before!"

"You're a Guardian; shouldn't you be able to take care of it?" said a random echidna.

"He's huge and powerful! Who knows what he's done to my son by now!"

"Hmm…" Shadow thought for a second. "Maybe if I rescue him, he'll finally fall in love with me. This monster shouldn't be that hard for me to defeat. I am Shadow after all.' "I'll help you, Guardian."

"You will?" Locke said, surprised.

"Of course, just give me a while to plan and I'll see what I can do." Shadow led the old man out the door.

"A while? But he needs help now; he'll be dead by then!" He pleaded.

"Knuckles is a big boy. He can handle himself until then." With that he pushed him out the door and shut it, chuckling to himself.

Locke glared at the closed door and decided to look elsewhere.

Back at the castle, the Werehog was pacing in front of the fireplace, waiting for a certain red-furred echidna to arrive. "Why isn't he here yet? I told him to be here!"

"Now, now. I'm sure he's just running a little late. Perhaps he's just nervous." Vector said.

Espio hopped in the doorway and cleared his throat, getting the Werehog's attention. "Ahem."

"Where is he?"

"W-well, he, uh…now don't get angry but, uh…he's a no show, sir."

"WHAT?" The Werehog burst out of the room, rushed up to the room where his prisoner was staying, and banged on the door. "I thought I told you to come down for dinner!"

"I'm not hungry!" Knuckles said from inside the room.

"Could you be a little nicer?" Vector suggested.

He tried his best to calm down. "Will you join me for dinner?"

"No!"

He glared at Vector.

"Try saying 'please'."

The oversized hedgehog gritted his teeth. "Will you join me for dinner…please?"

"I said I'm not going!"

He grunted in frustration. "FINE! THEN GO AHEAD AND STARVE!" He looked at Vector and Espio. "Make sure he doesn't leave this room!" With that the Werehog stormed off.

Once he was gone, Knuckles poked his head out of the door. "Is he gone?"

"Knuckles! Sorry about the Master, he's just a wee bit cranky," said the candle.

"I can see that."

"Would you like anything?" Vector asked.

"Actually, I am a little hungry."

"Great! Come with me!" He led Knuckles to the dining room, much to Espio's protests.

"But the Master said he must stay in his room! He shouldn't be in here!"

"Just ignore him. He gets worked up over nothing." The green candle told Knuckles as he had him sit down at the table.

"So, what's on the menu?" the echidna asked.

"Anything you want!" Vector said cheerfully as Vanilla came up and poured him some tea, getting a look from the echidna.

"What would you like, dear?" Vanilla asked.

"Um, I like grapes." He said awkwardly.

"Bowl of grapes coming up!" Vector clapped his candle ''hands" and a bowl of grapes slid across the table and stopped in front of Knuckles.

"Wow, thank you!" He took a couple bulbs and ate them. "Mmm, so how exactly can you talk? I've never seen objects talk before? And this mansion, it's like something from a fairytale or something."

"That's because this place is enchanted," Espio answered.

"Enchanted?"

"Yes, everything in this house is enchanted!" Vector added. "Would you like to see more of it?"

"Sure." Knuckles popped some more grapes in his mouth and got up and followed Vector and Espio out of the dining room.

While Vector and Espio were playing tour guides, Knuckles glanced up the grand staircase and saw that it led to a dark corridor. "What's up there?"

"And this is the- huh? Oh, uh…there's nothing interesting up there!"

"I wanna go look." Knuckles said, his curiosity getting the best of him. He started up the stairs only to be stopped by a clock and a candlestick.

"Don't go up there!" Espio exclaimed.

"Not even a peek?"

"You wouldn't find it very interesting anyway. There are plenty of other places we can see. There's a ballroom, a library, a garden…"

"A garden?" The echidna repeated, suddenly getting an idea.

"Oh yes! Huge garden! Tons and tons of fruits and veggies; and we got flowers coming out the wazoo!" Vector hopped down the staircase. "Come on, we'll show you!"

Knuckles pretended to follow and the two objects pranced down the hall. He quickly walked up the stairs and down the dark corridor, which was littered in broken statues and shredded curtains. It kind of gave it the feeling of a haunted house; he half expected the beast to come out of nowhere and chase him out of the mansion, wanting to kill him. But everything remained quiet as he reached a door at the end of the hallway. He grabbed the large door knocker and pulled the heavy, wooden door open and peeked inside. The room was even more trashed than the hallway. He stepped inside. As he looked around, he came across a portrait on the wall, which had four shred marks running down the paper. He reached up and straightened some of the paper to see who was in the portrait. It was of a blue hedgehog, staring down at him with a smug look on his face. 'Wonder who this is? Did he live here once? Maybe the beast ate him and took shelter here,' he thought. 'Or maybe he was already long dead before the Werehog started living here. Was he a hero? A prince?' He looked like he was in his teens, like he was about Knuckles' age.

He turned to get a good look at the rest of the room. As he scanned the room he saw something glowing. The echidna walked toward it to see what it was. "A rose." It was a glowing, red rose hovering under a glass dome. "I've never seen a flower like this before. Maybe it's one of those rare kinds." He carefully lifted the dome up and set it aside. "Wow."

As he was admiring the lone flower, he suddenly felt himself being thrown across the room into a wall. "Ahh!" He cried as he landed on the floor. He looked up at his attacker. Knuckles gasped.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" he roared, placing the glass back on the rose and glaring daggers into the echidna.

"I-I was just-"

"GET OUT!"

"W-wha-!"

"GET OUT!" His voice echoed throughout the mansion.

Thinking he was going to kill him, Knuckles quickly got up and ran until he was out of the building and into the woods. He couldn't remember which was he came, so he just picked a path and ran in that direction. As he was running, he heard growls. He quickly turned and saw a pack of wolves behind him. He continued running, but more wolves jumped out in front of him. He was completely surrounded, so he got in a fighting stance. One of them jumped at him, but he quickly knocked it away with his fist. He continued fighting more, but cried in pain when he felt one bite his leg. "Ahh!" He kicked him with his other foot, and another one pounced on top of him. "Get off!" The wolf was ready to bite him when the canine was thrown off him. Knuckles sat up to see who it was and saw the Werehog, standing with his back to him, fighting off the wolves. They scratched and bit at him, but were quickly thrown off. One of the wolves managed to bite him in the arm. He roared in pain and flung him into a tree, knocking the animal out cold. The other wolves quickly fled the scene, not wanting to end up like their friend.

The blue beast turned to Knuckles, clutching his arm. The echidna stared, expecting him to attack him now. What he wasn't expecting was the 'Hog extending his hand out to him. Knuckles hesitantly placed his hand into the beast's large paw, feeling it clutch his own and pulling him to his feet. He leaned against a tree for support.

The Werehog turned his back toward him, "Climb on my back, I'll take you back to the house."

"But your arm…"

"I'll be fine. Your limping will just slow us down, making you easy prey for more wolves. Now get on my back!"

Knuckles slowly walked over to him. He was positioning himself to climb on when he felt himself being lifted up onto the beast's back. He quickly grabbed his shoulders to keep from sliding back down. "Um…thanks." The Werehog took off toward the mansion.

Inside, the two of them were sitting in front of the crackling fireplace. Knuckles, whose leg had already been bandaged up, was busy tending to the Werehog's bite, or at least he was trying to. "Would you…hold still, please?" He yelled trying to dab his wound with a towel, but the blue beast kept moving his arm around. "I'm trying…to clean it…so it won't…get infected!" He finally succeeded and pressed the wet towel against the beast's wounded arm, resulting in a loud roar from him.

"THAT HURT!"

"It wouldn't hurt if you'd just sit still! For a beast, you're such a big baby!"

"I'm not a baby! If you hadn't run away, we wouldn't be having this problem!"

"If you hadn't acted like you were going to kill me, I wouldn't have run away!"

The Werehog's face softened, remembering how he had thrown him across the room. "Um, I apologize for throwing you like that. I hope I didn't break anything."

"Nah, just a bruise, that's all. It didn't hurt that much."

"Oh…that's good."

He was a bit surprised at the beast's sudden mood change. "Um, thank you for…helping me back there. I probably could've taken them on myself, but with my leg…you know…"

"Right, you were doing just fine, despite the fact that your face had nearly been bitten off." The former hedgehog smirked.

Knuckles playfully hit him with the towel. "Shut up!"

The beast chuckled, but stopped when he thought of something. "Uh, Knuckles, why didn't you escape while I was fighting the wolves? You had a chance to get away, why didn't you?"

"Well," the echidna thought for a second, "for one, I wouldn't get very far with a wounded leg anyway. It was dark, too, so I probably would've gotten lost. I figured it would be safer and smarter to come back here. And I couldn't just leave you like that after you helped me; and that wound looked pretty bad, so somebody had to treat it." he started dressing his arm with bandages. "There."

"Oh. Thank you for helping me, as well."

Knuckles smiled at him. 'Maybe it won't be so bad here, after all.'

The Werehog returned the smile.

End Chapter 3


	4. Bonding

Guardian and the Werehog

Chapter 4:

A few months later, snow had fallen and th e two friends were outside playing in the white stuff. Knuckles was building a snowman, while the Werehog was doing the same, but failing miserably due to his large claws. The echidna saw this and laughed, causing hin to laugh with him. Then a mischievous grin appeared on his blue snout and he made a snowball and threw it at his friend. Knuckles saw it and quickly ducked and the snowball made impact with his snowman. "Hey!" He saw his beastie friend laughing and he retaliated by throwing a snowball back at him, nailing him in the face. Seeing the look of shock on his face made the echidna burst out laughing.

"Oh yeah!" The Werehog made another snowball. Knuckles quickly dove behind a nearby tree, and saw the snowball hurl past him., thus starting a snowball fight between the two friends. While, Knuckles easily dodges the icy balls behind a tree, the blue beast had a hard time due to his bulky body, and was in the midst of making a snow fort while being pelted with snowballs. Once the fort was big enough for him, he started making snowballs about the size of his head. Right as he was about to throw the first one, he felt cold slush his the side of his face, making him drop his own weapon on his head. "Gah!" He heard laughing from behind the tree and decided to screw the snowball war and chased him around the yard.

"Haha, can't catch me, blue boy!" Knuckels shouted as he ran from the beast.

"We'll see about that!" He pursued the echidna. 'If only I had my speed,' he thought, but then he remembered his stretchy arms. He extended one of his arms out and grabbed Knuckles and pulled him toward him.

"Wah! Hey! No fair!" Knuckles pouted.

Then the two suddenly started laughing and continued their fun.

Vector and Espio watched from the balcony, glad to see their master and their guest enjoying themselves.

"Look at them, their having such a good time down there!" Vector said, grinning. "The Master seems to be growing fond of our echidna friend."

"You know, I actually agree with you. It's good that they're getting along and not at each others throats all the time." Espio added as he watched them make snow angels.

Several weeks pass and most of the snow has melted, Sonic was up on the balcony watching Knuckles walk around the backyard of the mansion. Ever since the echidna came here, he couldn't stop thinking about him. Most people would run at the sight of him, but the echidna isn't afraid at all; he'd even become his friend. He cared deeply for Knuckles; as each day passes, his feelings for him grow stronger. But did the echidna care for him that much?

Vector and Espio saw him staring and they hopped up on the railing. "Penny for your thoughts, sir?" the former crocodile asked.

Sonic sighed, "I think...I think I like him, not just as a friend, but...maybe more. it may sound weird, but this may be my only chance at breaking the spell. He's such a good friend. I want to do something for him, but I can't decide."

"What does he like?" Vector asked.

Sonic thought for a moment. "He seems to like nature..." An idea popped in his head. "I think I know...it's perfect."

About an hour or so later, Sonic was leading Knuckles toward the other side of the house. The former hedgehog tried to conceal his excitement as best as he could.

"Sonic, what's going on? Where are we going?" Knuckles asked.

"You'll see." They eventually stopped at a pair of glass doors. "Ready?"

"Uh, sure. Ready for what?"

Sonic opened the doors and walked out.

Knuckles followed him out and saw beautiful plants and flowers everywhere, and there was a marvelous marble fountain right in the center of the area. "Wow. So...you wanted to show me your flower garden?"

"Well, sort of. I wanted to give it to you."

"Give it to me?"

"Yeah. You can come out here anytime you want. You can come here to eat, read, or just to get some fresh air. At least you won't be couped up in the castle all day."

"Oh. Well, thank you, Sonic," he smiled. "That's very nice of you. I like it, it's very peaceful."

Sonic grinned, happy that his friend liked the gift.

"But, why such a big gift? It's not my birthday or anything."

"Just wanted to give you something special and something that you can enjoy while you're here."

"Aww." He blushed, then he hugged him.

The Werehog's cheeks turned red at the unexpected hug, but he just smiled and embraced him back.

End Chapter 4


	5. The Last Petal

Guardian and the Werehog  
Chapter 5

The sun was setting and the Werehog and the echidna were sitting on a blanket in the garden eating their favorite foods. Knuckles popped a few grapes in his mouth as he told him all about his home and his family; the hedgehog beast listened intently while eating a chili dog, wanting to know all about his new friend.

Knuckles was finishing up his story, when Sonic subtly glanced over at a bush where he saw a green, unlit, candle head peeking out from behind the shrub. Sonic gave him a nod and the green candlestick raised an arm, as if to give him a thumbs-up if he had fingers, and then disappeared behind the bush again. Sonic hoped Knuckles would be willing to do this. Prior to bringing Knuckles to the garden, he placed one of his stereos behind the bush where Vector and Espio were hiding. He took a deep breath, ready to start the plan.

Behind the bush, Vector gave Espio a signal; the clock pressed a button on the stereo and it began to play a catchy tune.

Knuckles heard the music and looked around, trying to figure out where it was coming from, "Where's that music coming from?"

Sonic got up and started dancing to the song, at least as best as he could with his big feet. "C'mon, who cares where it's coming from, let's dance!"

"Uh, I'm not much of a-"

Sonic pulled him to his feet before he could finish his sentence. "Aw, c'mon, just dance. Just move to the rhythm of the music!"

"Well…whoa!" Sonic grabbed his hand and started dancing with him, keeping up with the pace of the song. Knuckles tried to keep up with him, and to keep from tripping and falling at the same time. He found it rather awkward dancing with the Werehog, but after a while he found it kind of fun. Eventually, Knuckles managed to keep up and he was dancing with Sonic.

Sonic twirled him around and pulled him close to him, which made the echidna a little dizzy. Once, the dizziness faded, he looked up at the Werehog's face and realized how close he was to him. They stared at each other for a moment. Knuckles' heart raced. He'd never been this close to someone, especially like this. He thought about quickly pulling away, but he couldn't help but stare into those green eyes. His fur was so soft, and warm. He probably would never admit it, but kind of liked standing like with him like this. But they both pulled away, blushing. Knuckles noticed the slight chill in the air and he suddenly wished to be in his arms again.

_I hope I didn't offend him, but he doesn't seem mad, _he thought. He heard the music change, and a slow melody now filled their ears. He looked at Knuckles again, who looked back at him, who also noticed the changed in music. _I wonder. _He extended a large paw in front of Knuckles with his palm up.

Knuckles looked at it a little confused at first, but realizations hit him. _He wants to dance together,_ he thought. He blushed again as he put his hand in Sonic's and looked back up at him. Then he felt Sonic's other hand on his back, pulling him closer to him, making the echidna blush even more. Knuckles automatically placed his other hand on the other's shoulder and felt himself being guided around. The two of them stared into each other's eyes as they slow-danced to the piano, the violins, and the harps echoing throughout the garden through nightfall.

Stars twinkled in the dark blue sky as they sat together near the fountain resting from their little dance. Sonic had an arm around Knuckles to keep him warm, as it had gotten cooler after the sun went down. Both stared at the sky, in thought. Knuckles wondered about his family and how they were doing, his father was probably thinking of ways to get him back home. If he could just get home and tell everyone he was alright, they wouldn't have to worry.

Sonic, on the other hand, was thinking about how close he is to breaking the curse, but then he thought of Knuckles. He remembered how he told him of his home on the island. He knew Knuckles missed his home, regardless of how much he grew to like this place. He went from his prisoner, to his friend, to possibly more. He wanted nothing more than to make Knuckles happy. And what would be the best way to make him happy? Give him up. As much as he would want him to stay, he would have to let him go, to show him how much he cared for him. If he did go, he would lose his chance to become a hedgehog again. Hopefully, the others would forgive him. When you love someone, you have to be willing to do anything for them. Sonic sighed.

Knuckle looked up at him. "Is something wrong?

"I was thinking…" Sonic paused, trying to think of the best way to tell him.

"Huh?"

"You are no longer my prisoner, so I'm willing to set you free."

"What?" Knuckles couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was he letting him go?

"You don't have to stay here anymore. You are free to go back to your home."

Knuckles didn't know what to say. He was able to go home and see his father again. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine, and I'll still be here. I'm no longer the same person I used to be when you first arrived here. You're free to leave whenever you wish."

Knuckles let it all sink in. He grew to like this Werehog. Had he told him this when he first started living here, he would've left without a second thought. He didn't mind staying here now, but he really wanted to see his father again and see if he was alright. Perhaps he could come back and visit. He nodded, "Okay."

The two of them got to their feet and Sonic spoke, "I want to thank you for being so kind to me. I don't think I deserve it, but you've changed me. If you hadn't come along, I would still be as bitter as I was when we first met. I am thankful to have you as a friend."

Knuckles smiled. "You're welcome. Living here wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." They walked around to the front of the house. "I guess I will see you again sometime. I can't wait to see my father again."

"See you." They hugged one last time.

"Bye," Knuckles turned and walked off, looking back at him every few minutes.

Sonic watched him disappear into the trees. Once he was gone, he entered his house and went up to his room and stood by the table where his red rose hovered. He noticed there was only a single petal left. Sonic sighed sadly as he wondered if he did the right thing.

Shadow stood near the side of the altar away from the stairs, his dark fur blending in to the night. The green light of the Master Emerald shined above him at the top of the altar. He watched Locke's silhouette pacing back and forth through the window of the house, most likely worrying about his son. It's been months since anyone has seen the young Guardian; he thought perhaps Knuckles is either captured or dead. Shadow searched everywhere and still didn't find Knuckles or any beast, but he thought he would hang around here to see if either the echidna or the monster turned up.

He was just thinking about how he could easily fight the beast with no problem when he heard rustling in the trees nearby. He instantly became alerted. Perhaps the beast is real and he found his way here, he thought. But what he saw come out of the trees wasn't the beast, but a familiar red echidna heading straight for his home. So, he was still alive. Won't his old man get a nice surprise? Maybe he should pay them a visit.

Knuckles burst in through his front door. "Dad!"

Locke quickly turned around, not believing his eyes or his ears. Was he dreaming again? "Knuckles?"

Knuckles ran to him and hugged him. "Dad! I missed you so much!"

This is no dream, Locke thought, Knuckles came home and he's alive! He hugged his son tightly, tears threatening to fall. "Son, I was beginning to think I'd never see you again!"

"I'm back, Dad. He let me go."

"Who?"

"The beast, he let me come home."

"You sure this isn't some trick. He's not gonna come running after us, is he?"

"No! He's changed! He's completely good now!"

"Well, I don't care about him right now, I'm just glad you're home again. You're mother has been worried sick, she'll be happy to hear the news. I do have one question, though."

"What's that?"

"How did you find out where I was or that I was even in trouble?"

Knuckles thought back to when he saw his father in the Master Emerald. "I was guarding the Emerald and I saw you and the beast. It looked like he was going to attack you, so I went off to find you and I came across that house."

"You saw me and that monster in the Emerald?"

"Yeah, I don't know what I did, but that's what happened."

"Hmm," Locke thought for a moment then went outside and climbed up the stairs of the altar; Knuckles followed behind him.

Knuckles watched as his father examined the large glowing gem. He placed his hand on the Emerald and stared at it. _Maybe it could sense when we are in trouble_. He thought of the Werehog and wondered how he was doing since he left. He remembered dancing with him just a few hours earlier, looking into those green eyes and feeling his thick fur. When he was traveling through the woods, he'd scratched large X's into trees with his knuckles so he could find his way back if he wanted to see him again.

"What's this?" Locke spoke up, interrupting Knuckles' thoughts. "I think I see something."

"Hm?" Knuckles stepped back and looked into the Emerald. His father wasn't seeing things, he saw a mass of deep blue inside the green gem.

"That's that monster!" Locke exclaimed.

That was indeed the Werehog, but he wondered why the Emerald was showing him this. Last time the Emerald did this, Locke was in danger. But he didn't look like he was in danger. He was standing over a table with a sad expression on his face. Why was he sad? He looked at the object on the table, a green stem with just a single petal clinging to it, and more petals were scattered below it. He remembered the strange rose he saw when he sneaked into that room, and how protective he was of it. This must be the same rose, only it was wilting. Just what was so special about that dying flower? Knuckles thought.

"So, that's the beast?"

Locke and Knuckles whirled around and saw Shadow standing there. "What do you want, Shadow?" Knuckles glared, thinking he might be after the Master Emerald.

"This is the monster that held you captive this whole time? He doesn't look very intimidating to me."

"Please leave, we don't want you here."

"Hmph! I bet I could take that thing on easy! Maybe I'll go pay him a visit!"

"Just leave him alone, he doesn't want to be bothered!"

Shadow ignored him and jumped off the altar and raced through the trees where he saw Knuckles come through.

"Shadow! Dammit!" Knuckles ran off after him, with Locke following behind him.

Shadow ran through and noticed X's on the trees. Noticing a pattern, he decided to follow them. Several minutes passed and just as he expected, he came across a house in the middle of the woods. _Is this where this monster lives? Who else would live out here?_ He approached the house and turned the knob of the front door. It's unlocked. Probably a trap to lure lost travelers, but Shadow was no fool, so he stepped inside and looked around before moving on to search the house.

Vector and some of the other enchanted objects were gathered in the kitchen, depressed after hearing their Master had let Knuckles go free. Now they'll never return to their normal selves.

Shadow came across the destroyed hallway and saw at the door at the very end was ajar. He walked down the hallway and peeked through the open door. He saw a large creature, with what looked like hedgehog spikes coming out of his back and head. _That must be him._ The black hedgehog kicked the door opened, which slammed against the wall. The monster looked at him, but didn't budge from his spot and turned back to the wilting rose. _How pathetic!_ Shadow stepped forward. "Get up, beast!" He kicked him in the side, but the blue beast just winced and fell over. Sonic didn't care; it was only a matter of time before the last petal fell.

Vector and the others heard the noise and were about to go investigate when they heard the front door slam open.

"Shadow!"

Knuckles came back! Vector and Espio peeked out of the kitchen door and saw Knuckles and another familiar echidna running toward their Master's bedroom. They wondered what was going on and decided to follow.

"Pathetic weakling, I'll just end your misery right here," a Chaos Spear formed in Shadow's hand.

"Stop!"

Shadow turned around and saw Knuckles standing in the door way, his father standing in the doorway. "Stay away, Guardian. I've got this. I'll have this beast dead and he'll won't be able to harm or kidnap anyone else."

Sonic lifted his head to see Knuckles. _He came back? _

Knuckles ran forward and grabbed Shadow's arm that held the yellow spear. "Don't you touch him!"

"Stay out of this, echidna! This is none of your concern!" He tried to pull his arm away, but Knuckles wouldn't let go.

"No! I won't let you hurt him!" Knuckles swung his other fist at Shadow's face.

Shadow quickly reacted by grabbing his fist and shoving him back into the wall. Locke ran to his sons' side and was about to attack Shadow, when the hedgehog was suddenly knocked away by a large furry arm. Shadow quickly got up and looked up at the blue monster, who was now standing on his feet glaring down at him. The beast lunged at him again, but he quickly dodged him and kicked him in the back.

Sonic winced but continued swinging his claws at the black hedgehog, careful not to damage his rose. Knuckles obviously didn't like him, which automatically made him his enemy. He would pay for hurting Knuckles.

Knuckles and his father watched as Shadow and the Werehog fought each other, trashing the room even more.

As they were fighting, Shadow remembered how he attacked him right after his shoved Knuckles. Knuckles seemed rather fond of this vile beast. He could never figure out why the echidna cared for him, and it seemed the beast cared for the echidna as well or he wouldn't have reacted the way he did. He thought of an idea. The black hedgehog drew another Chaos Spear and threw it at Knuckles.

Sonic saw this and quickly dove in between Knuckles and the spear, taking the hit and collapsing to the ground.

"No!" Knuckles immediately ran to the almost unconscious beast's side.

"Pathetic. I knew it wouldn't last long," Shadow smirked.

Locke saw what the beast did. He protected him from that hedgehog's attack. And Knuckles was clearly upset at the fallen beast. This has lasted long enough. Locke was getting ready to attack him when what looked like several objects barged into the room and started attacking the black hedgehog. Locke had completely forgotten about the living objects.

"Charge!" Vector said as he led the army of enchanted objects.

"What?" Shadow had not expected this. _These things are attacking him! _He swatted and kicked at some of them, but he was outnumbered, they just kept coming at him. He backed away from them still trying to knock them away from him until his back hit the window behind him. They had him cornered. He'll just simply blast this whole house apart, if that's what it took. But before he could do anything, the green candlestick stood in front of his army and stared up at him with a smug look on his face. Did it really think it had him defeated? He drew another spear, but Vector blew at one of his candles hands, shooting a blaze of fire at him, causing him to fall out of the window, landing on the snowy ground below. Shadow coughed, his face slightly burned from the fire, he looked up at the window and saw all of those things glaring down at him, including Locke. Shadow glared at him and decided they weren't worth his time anymore. He killed the beast and that's all that mattered, so he raced off into the woods.

Knuckles was still by Sonic's side trying to keep him awake. "Sonic, can you hear me? Sonic!"

Sonic looked at Knuckles through blurred eyes, fading in and out of consciousness. "Knuckles…" He wasn't sure how long he would last, he surely would die soon, whether by Shadow's hand or by the last petal falling. "Knuckles…" He weakly lifted up a paw and held it against the side of Knuckles' face, careful not to nick him with one of his claws. "I don't know how much longer I'm going to last, but I want you to know…that I care about you very much. I thought I would never see you again, but I am happy enough to be able to see your face again."

"No, we'll help you get better…" Knuckles didn't like this; he didn't want his friend to die.

"I'm sorry...I love you…" His eyes shut and his arm fell limp on the ground.

"No! Sonic!" He shook him trying to wake him, tears falling down his face. "Don't die! Sonic!"

Vector, Espio, and the others stared sadly at their fallen hero. Espio looked up at the wilted rose and saw the last petal fall. It won't be long now before they faced their fate.

Even Locke was a little sad. He didn't know how this beast changed from a vicious monster to a noble hero willing to protect them. He figured his son may have had something to do with it. He wished he could've helped him somehow, but it looked like it was already too late. He decided to let Knuckles be alone for a few minutes and left the room to look around the house, remembering when he was here months ago.

Knuckles cried on the Werehog's chest, he could still feel a faint heartbeat. No matter what he did, he wouldn't wake up. Memories flashed through his mind as he remembered the months he spent with him, how they grew closer as friends. He remembered the two of them dancing together in the garden. "Sonic, please don't go. I love you." He clung to him, hoping he would wake up by some miracle, but if he did die, he had hoped the Werehog had at least heard those last three words before was gone completely. He sat there resting on the Werehog's chest, not wanting to leave, when he felt a sudden warmness emanating from the form below him. Knuckles lifted his head and saw that the body was glowing. His eyes widened, he saw the enchanted objects were also glowing. What was going on?

Sonic's body was engulfed in white light. The echidna quickly stood up and backed away as he noticed the body started moving, no, shrinking. The massive blue beast slowly started getting smaller and smaller, as the objects all changed sizes, as well. When Sonic stopped shrinking, the light faded, revealing a blue hedgehog. Knuckles thought he looked familiar. He looked around and saw the tattered portrait of the young blue hedgehog he had seen before. That was him. _The Werehog and that hedgehog were the same person, _he realized. He turned back to the blue hedgehog and saw that the wound he had from Shadow's spear was gone. Just as he was wondering whether the hedgehog was still alive or not, he saw the hedgehog stir and heard him groan. _He's alive! _

Sonic's eyes opened, blinking away the blurriness in his eyes. He looked up at the echidna, who stared at him with shock. He looked around and saw the room, once filled with objects, was now filled with people. He stood up to meet the echidna's eyes.

Knuckles couldn't believe his eyes, it was all happening so fast. Did he fall asleep at some point? Was this a weird dream he was having?

Sonic was surprised himself that he was standing here, and as a hedgehog. He surely thought he was a goner. But he decided he would think about that later and flashed Knuckles one of his trademark smiles. "Hey, Knux-" He barely got the words out before he felt himself being hugged.

Knuckles didn't know how it happened, and right now he didn't care; he was just glad that his friend was alive. He felt Sonic's arms embrace him and they stayed there for a moment, letting everything sink in. They pulled away, smiling at each other. "So what happens now?"

"Well, I'm just about sick of this house. I wanna get out of this place, stretch my legs. Maybe I could come home with you?"

"Of course, I'd love to have someone around. I don't really have many friends back home. Hopefully, my father won't mind."

"Cool." He turned to the group of people in the room. Vector had turned into a tall crocodile; Espio, a chameleon; Vanilla and Cream were rabbits; And, there were also foxes, armadillos, chipmunks, and other humanoid animals among them. "I want to thank all of you for all that you've done for me. I know I was selfish in the past, but I'm a new hedgehog now. You guys are free to do as you want. You're free to stay in the house, but the garden still belongs to Knuckles."

Everyone had smiles on their faces and they all thanked Sonic as the exited the room. Some left to do their own thing, while others stayed to have a place to eat and sleep. Locke saw this and wondered where all of these Mobians came from. He could've sworn this house had been abandoned and inhabited by a beast and living objects. Then he saw Knuckles walking toward him with a blue hedgehog about his sons' age walking next to him. Knuckles introduced them and explained everything that had happened. If only he had been there to see it, but right now Locke just wanted to get home, make sure the Emerald was alright, and get some sleep. "Come on. Let's get back to the house. I need some sleep."

"You go on, Dad. I wanna stay here for a bit, and then I'll come home," Knuckles told his father. With that, his father nodded and walked out of the house.

Once he left, the two of them went into the garden and danced through the early morning until they were both too tired to dance any longer.

The End.

**Well that's that end of the story. I'm so glad I finally finished this story! I felt so bed for taking so long to finish, but I just had trouble coming up with how to conclude it. But it's done and now I can move on to other fanfics if i wanted to. Hope you in enjoyed it, and I hope the ending is okay.**


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